Asian push behind Real Madrid's Beckham bid

Real Madrid will use the signing of David Beckham to further push its name into the Asian market.

The Spanish giants have done extensive research on Beckham's popularity across the Far East and are convinced the Manchester United midfielder will help the club become the biggest on the planet.

A 10ft chocolate statue of Beckham was sculpted in Tokyo and BP launched their Asian Pacific Castrol Oil campaign using his image.

Real marketing director Jose Angel Sanchez said, "In some parts of our marketing work there is a very direct relationship between the stars we buy and our financial performance."

"Real Madrid realises that you have to grab certain market shares immediately."

"Otherwise, it could be very damaging to you and your financial power, particularly if one of your competitors does have that share. Market research shows that many football fans across Asia will transfer their allegiance from club to club without a thought if their favourite star moves."

"In Europe, with a game which is well over a century old, we give our loyalty to the clubs. But that is not the way it works in the emerging markets."